Australia’s Michael Clarke on mission to salvage respect at Oval

Australia captain Michael Clarke was in reflective mood on the eve of his final test match against England at The Oval as he plotted a consolation victory to finish the series on a high.

Clarke (34) announced he would retire at the end of the series immediately after his side lost the fourth test at Trent Bridge last week by an innings and 78 runs to relinquish the Ashes.

“There are no fairytales,” Clarke said.

“We really need to show grit, determination and resilience throughout this Test match and play a lot better than we have done in the last couple.”

Clarke admitted his team’s performances in the series, which they trail 3-1, had not been good enough.

“Australian fans expect the Australian cricket team to play better than we have done throughout this series and they expect the leader to lead from the front and stand up, so the criticism is certainly warranted,” he said.